The manufacture of shoes has changed little over the past hundred years or more. Automation has had little impact on shoe manufacturing due to the labor-intensive aspects of shoe production. For example, forming the upper of a shoe may involve the careful cutting alignment, attachment, decoration, and the like of numerous separate pieces, largely or entirely by hand. However, such a high labor approach necessarily introduces variability in quality of product that is not desirable. Further, the requirement of a high amount of hand labor to manufacture a single pair of shoes has limited the ability for readily available as-desired customized shoes at a price deemed acceptable by most consumers.